Racing:Aidan O'Brien has revealed the brilliant-but-fragile Rip Van Winkle has not had an entirely smooth build-up to the Breeders' Cup Classic.
The Sussex Stakes and QEII winner’s foot troubles are well documented but a problem with a previously unaffected foot beset him during preparations for the €3.4million showdown on Saturday night.
O’Brien has never won the Classic, although his Giant’s Causeway went down fighting to Tiznow in a memorable battle in 2000, while Henrythenavigator found only Raven’s Pass too good 12 months ago.
“The horses arrived on Sunday. They’ll go on the track tomorrow and have a trot and a canter,” O’Brien said.
“Rip has been swimming against the tide all season and it is amazing where he is given the hiccups he has had.
“He’s had bits and pieces of problems coming into this race, with one of his feet that hasn’t been problematic thus far (this season). I hope it isn’t going to affect him and we will see him out on the track tomorrow.
“With Rip you have to take it day by day all the time but we have been happy with him throughout the last week.
“I don’t think the surface will be a problem as he is a fluent and easy mover. He is total athlete and we will see out he handles it when he goes out for a hack tomorrow.”
O’Brien’s team at the weekend also includes Mastercraftsman, winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes this season.
Following those two Group One wins, the Danehill Dancer colt finished second to Sea The Stars in the Juddmonte International at York before filling third place behind John Oxx’s superstar in the Irish Champion Stakes.
He was last seen enjoying a confidence-boosting success on the Polytrack at Dundalk over an extended 10 furlongs last month, where he was sent off the 2-9 favourite. And he will stick to an artificial surface for the Dirt Mile on the Pro-Ride.
O’Brien said: “Mastercraftsman definitely runs in the Dirt Mile. For us the best performance he has ever put in was over six furlongs on fast ground at the Curragh (last year in the Phoenix Stakes).
“There was a Coventry winner (Art Connoisseur) in that race and he blew him out of it. We feel that what was important that day was the pace of the race and he must have pace in a race as he has so much speed.”